Dear Companion Pet Lovers ~
NJ puppy mill breeder Edith and Perry Buchko of Howell, NJ, who had
hundreds of Chihuahuas and Shar Peis, have now moved her business
to Ohio.
For more information of this couple, click here to read page 6 of the article, "Howell Twp. Puppy Mill Dogs Find Lifetime of Love in Carteret" - > http://www.ahscares.org/downloads/HN-February%202010.pdf.
When it was ascertained that Windsong Acre Kennels, owned by Edith
& Perry Buchko, were "unloading" some of the older dogs, the kennels were visited by authorities and the Buchko's were urged to surrender as many as possible. They had no running water and there were problems with septic and sewage. The animals needed more resources than they were able to and willing to give them.
It has been shared that these dogs lived at a horrendous breeding kennel; some sick, many unkempt. Most of the dogs needed dentals, had
gum infections, cataracts, overgrown nails and some had heart murmurs.
Most of the Shar Peis had heavy infestation of heartworm - an easily
preventable disease, and sadly many were blind since no veterinary care
had been given to those that suffered from entropion eyelids.
Cages were stacked three feet high, with several dogs in each small crate. Edith Buchko admitted dropping dogs on their heads because she and her husband are obese and cannot bend down to put them down after they pick them up, so they just drop them. One of them had seizures due to being dropped (again this was by her own admission). She picks them up by the legs or whatever part of their body she can grab, as it has been described that they all cower from her.
After a November 24, 2008 inspection, the Buchkos had to clean up the rodent infestation, feces, and some of the other violations. Buchko was convicted of animal cruelty in 1991 and in 1996; her ability to sell with AKC papers was terminated. So the Buchkos created their own private dog registry called the Purebred Canine International Association where she pocketed "registration fees".
Edith Buchko was back in court in 2006 and has not abided by the Farmingdale judge's mandate. Finally, the kennel license was revoked, and the Buchkos were disbarred from the AKC, but she continued to operate while fighting the SPCA and going in and out of court.
(If you Google her name you will see the list of charges she's faced going back many years.)
The Buchkos cannot pass the regulations to continue as a kennel, and
now with the newly changed kennel laws in their county, rather than
give up her dogs they have moved their operation to Ohio. It has been confirmed that Edith is now living approximately one hour from Cleveland on 23 acres of land. It is said she currently has over 400 dogs living in two garages, and that one of the primary reasons that she will remain in Ohio is because our state "doesn't have any zoning or number restrictions", and she could continue her breeding business as usual.
We will continue to keep you posted on this couple as more information is received from the field...
30 comments:
UGH! Amy, can I post a link to this blog post on my blog?
sure
So, for the rules you listed below...can we "tip" Ohio in on this lady. Besides keeping the kennel in a disgusting manner and the humane society staying on her butt...she has to follow by even more rules! I am sure she has her kennel license but I wonder if she follows the other rules? I was sick to my stomach when I read this article!!!
Christie
I know totally gross... google her name, they is even more stuff about her.. UGH!
If we can find out where she is living yes someone could send in the Tax Fraud form and she would get investigated.
Although I am not supporting the breeding of large numbers of dogs at one kennel I have to say I have first hand knowledge of this woman's operation. My father bought a puppy from her in the 1980's and I was hoping to find one of similar quality. No one has mentioned that she was at one time one of the top breeders of champion chihuahuas (Varga) and in fact many of her dogs are behind the winners of today. So I went to her kennel with high hopes of seeing some outstanding quality. I was unaware of any violations at that time This was in 2006.
Here is what I saw: In my opinion, far too many dogs for two people to handle. However, there were also two kennel helpers there. The whole building was clean, every crate was clean, there was no odor at all which surprised me. There was plenty of water and food. I am sure there could have been rodent feces if I looked under things since it is a county setting and they could get in if determined. There may also have been mouse traps etc. I wasn't getting the impression that the place was dirty at all. BUT: I felt very sad for the dogs who obviously could not get the attention they crave so much. Especially the little chihuhua, a lap dog extraordinaire. There were many who had obvious kennel dog syndrome...how could it be avoided? However, there were also very friendly individuals. None of them looked like they were suffering from physical problems except for old age. Certainly they could have enjoyed more comfortable conditions!
But here again I have to say there were long coated chihuahuas there with the most remarkably heavy coats I have ever seen...far better than what is in the ring today. So the quality of these dogs is still higher than what most people are breeding. Shocked? yes I was.
What I came away thinking is this: First of all the desciption of Edith as obese is a ridiculous lie. She is an intelligent woman who, in her time, was quite attractive. She is from a foreign country where animals are not viewed the same way Americans see them. She is a brilliant breeder BUT I think she suffers from not being able to let her dogs go. It was like the TV show about the people who can't throw anything away. I liked her very much. She welcomed me into her home and was very gracious. It bothers me to read things I feel are not truthful. That was my only contact with her. I did not buy a puppy because I feared the kennel dog syndrome. Her prices were a bit too high for me too at that time. I guess I am writing because it is better for the truth to be told than a lie perpetrated. People are alarmed by puppy mills. They are not a healthy setting for animals. They need very close supervision. I hope Ohio does regular check ups on all the commercial kennels in their area.
wanted to let you guys know, i live in Ohio and have contacted "many" on this case (one being the Ohio A.S.P.C.A.) i found this puppy mill breeders web site and her new place here in Ohio (as well as her contact phone number) i gave this all to the contacts! hope they close her down for good!
I remember Edith (Varga) when she first started breeding dogs back in the 60's. She was a beautiful woman who dressed well and kept an immaculate house. We belonged to the same dog club and visited each others homes. She was living in Iselin at the time and when she refused to put out rat poison at a neighbor's request, the neighbor turned her in for having too many dogs. She took her 30 or so Chihuahuas to a house she bought in Howell Township. Edith campained many dogs in the ring and also bought many dogs from other breeders. She then started breeding Bichons and added Persion cats to her large collection. She was gradually turning into a what some would consider a hoarder. She insisted on medicating dogs herself and I believe at the time that she lost dogs to misdiagnosis and over dosing. I witnessed many genetic problems with the Chihuahuas including a dog that seemed to have its back legs connected to its hips backwards. Some dogs she euthanized herself (according to what she told me) by smashing their heads on the concrete floors of the kennel. She had changed so much from the early breeder that I admired that I started to distance myself from her. I have not heard from her since the early 70's.
I remember Edith (Varga) when she first started breeding dogs back in the 60's. She was a beautiful woman who dressed well and kept an immaculate house. We belonged to the same dog club and visited each others homes. She was living in Iselin at the time and when she refused to put out rat poison at a neighbor's request, the neighbor turned her in for having too many dogs. She took her 30 or so Chihuahuas to a house she bought in Howell Township. Edith campained many dogs in the ring and also bought many dogs from other breeders. She then started breeding Bichons and added Persion cats to her large collection. She was gradually turning into a what some would consider a hoarder. She insisted on medicating dogs herself and I believe at the time that she lost dogs to misdiagnosis and over dosing. I witnessed many genetic problems with the Chihuahuas including a dog that seemed to have its back legs connected to its hips backwards. Some dogs she euthanized herself (according to what she told me) by smashing their heads on the concrete floors of the kennel. She had changed so much from the early breeder that I admired that I started to distance myself from her. I have not heard from her since the early 70's.
I work with sharpei rescue and helped find homes for 11 sharpeis taken from these people. They were minis weighing but 35 pounds. I fostered two of them. Sadie was in terrible shape. One of her eyes was grossly enlarged by glaucoma that had gone untreated for years and the other eye was badly scarred by her need for entropian surgery to stop the lashes from destroying the eye. After visits to two eye specialists it was determined that the best thing to do for Sadie was to remove her eyes. I had her for two years when she suffered sharpei fever and eveything that could be done was done by my vets, but I lost her. Emily lived with me two and a half years when she , too, experienced a bout of sharpei fever. We thought we had her over this battle, but her kidneys shut down and I lost her as well. Two of the other 8 dogs also died within 2 years of being removed from the breederIt is my understanding that the genes making these dogs suseptible to this genetic disorder must exist in both parents. These people are breeding dogs with this genetic problem. There were also old chihuahuas with dental disease so bad that their jaws were cracked.
A number of the dogs also had heartworms becasuse she didn't give them any preventative. At the time in Howell, NJ they had 260+ dogs and the judge made them give up all but 160. She kept her puppies and breeding stock and gave the old animals to rescues. Allowing this woman to keep breeding is a sin. She should be closed down so more animals don't suffer.
According to Public Tax Land and Sale Records, their address is 5140 Dinninger Road, Shelby, Ohio. This is in Richland County, Ohio.
I have seen first hand for many years the abuse that these people have inflicted upon there animals. The veterinarian that would see these pets does not work for our practice any longer. Mrs. Buchko would refuse anesthesia and pain medication on all of her "mom" dogs during emergency c-sections she would have to have because of the poor health of the dogs and repeatedly tried to give us money to keep quite about breeding without a license. She has not been back since that Dr. left us. The condition of the dogs she brought in were horrid! Many people that she sold these pups to for hundreds if not thousands of dollars would consistantly find that they were unfit for sale by the doctor and would end up in court because the Buchkos would refuse to return their money or pay for the vet bills. They are discusting people who deserve to be locked up in a cage themselves. I advise that anyone who is considering any type of dealings with these people to run the other way as fast as you can. There was even a day when she pulled up with a pickup truck full of female dogs between 2 and 5 years old to have them euthanized. She is an abomination.
Ii understand this breeder is ill and not expected to survive and now has 200-300 dogs in Ohio and only her husband Perry to care for them They are trying to surrender" some of the older ones Is there anyone who lives in Ohio that can help or tell me if we can contact authorities?
Contact the local humane society to see if they can help
Edith's husband has now died and she is now living in Hospice, so several rescue groups are working to place these dogs. It is a sad thing, but if anything good will come from their passing, it is that no dog will have to suffer living in their home again.
anonymouse said
Yes, there is good coming to some and to some they will also pass but it's better than the suffering they have had to live in. There was help there yesterday coming and going so something is being done .. trying to find rescues and volunteers to help with clean up and taking dogs into rescue we need more rescues to help with this many dogs.. they are now rescued!!
If your local humane society won't or say they can't do anything always contact the local county commisioners office or the Franklin County Commissions office, I wrote a letter telling them that the humane society had been told or the local animal control and they had not done a thing and thats when they then contacted the animal control told them of complaints about a site that was told to them nothing was being done and they were not doing their job. within one month the place was taken care of..
always go this way make it public make it known to everyone you can..
it has to stop!! puppymills!
Is this the breeder now in hospice, and has her husband died of a heart attack? No more venting if this is the case. Those who did their "distancing" are guilty of not doing the right thing. For Mrs Buchko to wreck such havoc on so many dogs, there had to be a lot of looking the other way. Can we learn this lesson?
IT IS CALLED OHIO LAWS SUCK! And no one could do anything because the laws wouldn't allow anything to be done.
Don't think for one moment that SB 130 is going to take care of these type of puppy mill breeders. The bill is supported by members of a group called ohio professional dog breeders association. This group is considered one of the top financial campaign contributors to rep. dave hall. He represents holmes county where most of these terrible puppy mill breeders keep their dogs in terrible conditions. If you want to read a great article on this bill, read the one posted by laura allen who founded the animal law coalition. This is the link and it has some great information - http://www.animallawcoalition.com/companion-animal-breeding/article/1355
HA! her husband died and she's now in hospice. KARMA is a b*tch (no pun intended lol).
I'm hoping it gets worse for her the way she treated those dogs. Nobody should be allowed to care for that many unless they have a fulltime staff AND appropriate space for them.
whether or not you agree or disagree with the situation that has happened. a person has died, and we do not need to go on and on about karma and such...it is now time to focus on helping the dogs. stop the drama.
I am a Dog Warden in an Ohio county, I first would like to say yes Ohio needs tougher laws on Puppy mills as well as any person commiting animal cruelty......I can assure you that in my county we dont tolerate any kind of cruelty whether it is 1 dog or 300 dogs, to me 1 is just as important as 300...8 am Very fortunate to. Have a Judge in my courts that is a animal lover and does not tolerate this behavior from any stand point...at times the cases get plea out and the sad part is that you have to do what is best for the dogs, sometimes holding. These dogs in a shelter for months isnt the best thing but they r at least getting cared for and bathed and vetted, clean kennels, but there r times when just getting the case to court is the problem, many attorneys. Know that this will bring hardship on the shelters so that the states attorney will plea to lesser charges to get over in a more reasonable time frame.......I thank God for all the foster homes in my county because they r the ones that make it possible for me to keep these dogs till they'er owner is in front of a judge to answer to the charges.....we must stop the Breeders that have more dogs than they can possibly tske care of both physicaly as well as financialy.............
Great News for these dogs...He died and she gave them up!!!
http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2012/08/17/plymouth-more-than-300-dogs-rescued-from-home-of-breeder-turned-hoarder.html
How about she not get any medication for her slow painful battle with cancer.
It just saddens me to see the lack of humanity and compassion these so cdlled breeders offered their dogs! It sickens me to see them suffer! Ohio needs to have harsher penalties for animal abusers! While absolutely against animal breeding there needs to be strict regulations places on breeders and home checks regularly to check out the situation!!! They should have to register w some authority that keeps this from happening! My motto adopt don't shop! 5,00,000 dogs in shelters every yr! An avg sized litter will produce 67,000 dogs in 5 yrs!!!! Spay and neuter people!! Adopt from a shelter or rescue save a life. I do know their are certain breeds that people prefer that are not typically in rescue by almost every breed had a rescue!
In this article titled, Official: Ohio A Haven For Puppy Mills, the Richland County dog warden, where this 300 dog mill was located, saids he supports SB 130 because then the mills wouhttp://www.marionstar.com/article/20120823/NEWS01/208230303?fb_action_ids=3526834374366&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582ld be regulated.
Read what this article titled, "Official: Ohio A Haven For Puppy MIlls," has to say on Ohio's Puppy Mill Bill SB 130. In it Dave Jordan, the Richland County dog warden supports the bill.
http://www.marionstar.com/article/20120823/NEWS01/208230303
Pleae take the time to read and study the actual Ohio Puppy Mill Bill by clicking on this link: http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_SB_130_PS_Y.pdf
If SB 130 had been a law, this couple with previous convictions in New Jersey would not have been able to purchase a license in Ohio and thus this puppy mill with 300 dogs would have been prevented from setting up shop here in Ohio. With no laws, standards, and regulations Ohio continues to serve as a magnet for puppy mill operations.
Please read the bill line 248, it says, "Requirements and procedures for conducting background
investigations of each applicant for a license issued under section 956.04 of the Revised Code in order to determine if the applicant has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the
violations specified in division (A)(2) of section 956.15 of the
Revised Code. The rules shall provide that background
investigations shall be conducted solely by the attorney general on behalf of the director. The rules shall establish procedures for annually updating background investigation information regarding an applicant after an initial background investigation has been conducted with respect to an initial application for a license submitted under that section."
When we were young and naive we bought a chihuahua puppy from edith in Howell. The little guy has been an amazing healthy loving member of our family now for 14 years...aside from his occasional love of peeing on the dining room curtains. She definitely lived like a hoarder back in 2002 when we got the little guy. This morning our kids were asking if we could ever get another chihuahua from the same family. So after 1 google search I was saddened to see this was how the story ended :(
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